Fallen from Grace
by Rae Solo
Summary: Book One of the Grace Trilogy. Abbey Tiel lived in Radiant Garden until it was destroyed by the Heartless. Finding herself on Destiny Islands, she begins to rebuild her life. She never thought she'd lose that home, too... CURRENTLY ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Kingdom Hearts I; Fallen From Grace  
****By Shattered Glass Memories**

**Chapter One**

_The sky was dark. It looked as though it were about to storm. If it wasn't a dangerous storm, Abbey would go outside and watch the rain fall._

_She loved doing that. _

_She had lived in Ra__dia__nt Garden all her life, not that there was much of her life to have spent elsewhere; she was only six.  
Radiant Garden was a beautiful place, well deserving of its name. Flower gardens lined the streets, and the city square housed a lovely three-tiered fountain.  
_

_"Hey, Abbey, gonna go watch the storm?" Came a voice behind her. Looking up, Abbey saw her friend Squall Leonhart.  
_

_"Hi, Squall!" The girl squealed in true little-girl fashion._

_"You wanna come with me?" Abbey asked, and the boy laughed. _

_"Sure, come on; let's go up to the balcony of the library."_

_They ran in though the large arching doors of the main entrance, slipped past the kitchen, and raced up the spiral stairs before finally reaching the library.__ The two sat in silence on the balcony as the first drops of rain began to fall. The storm seemed harmless enough at first, but as the rain grew more intense Squall got a bad feeling. _

_"Hey, Abbey, I don't think we should be out here right now. Why don't you go find your mom and sister?"_

_"Huh? But mom's in the study. She said not to bother her in the study. And sis is with Aerith and Tifa."_

_"Well, I think your mom will allow the disruption this time. Tell her I sent you, and I think we have a problem. I'll get __Mirage__."_

_So Abbey ran off. As she ran the ground began to shake, and Abbey heard a low rumble coming from all around her._

_Then she saw them; strange black creatures with glowing yellow eyes and sharp claws._

_They ran through the streets, chasing after the townspeople,_ _slaughtering people left and right._

_When she neared the large stone building that was the study, Abbey found her mother coming out of it. _

_"Mommy!" _

_"Abbey, where's _Mirage_?" _

_"She's with Aerith and Tifa. Squall went to get her." _

_"Alright, let's go find everyone."_

_Before the two even reached Aerith's house, the ground in front of them turned dark, and a vortex of shadows appeared in the center of the darkness.  
Smoke rose from it and reached out to them, wrapping around their ankles and pulling them in. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't break free-in fact, the more the struggled the tighter its hold on them became.  
_

_"Mommy!" Abbey cried._

_"Don't be afraid, sweetheart. You'll be okay."_

_There was a fierce wind surrounding them, pulling at their clothes and blowing their hair around, making it hard to see.  
_

_Abbey struggled against the darkness as much as she could, but her attempts only served to weaken her physically. The darkness was smothering her, making it hard to breathe or move. _

_In a matter of moments it had covered her face and she closed her eyes, feeling her body slowly go numb._

_The pressure against her body began to grow faint, as did her perceptions of the darkness around her. her breathing became shallow, and she fell into all-encompassing darkness.  
_

_When she woke up, she was laying on a rough surface and she smelled the sea._

_Without opening her eyes she moved her hand and felt sand, meaning she was on a beach.  
_

_"Hey, are you okay?" A quiet voice asked._

_"Squall?" She asked groggily, sitting up._

_Opening one eye, she saw a young boy with silver hair. _

_"Squall? No, I'm Riku. What's your name?"_

_Opening the other eye and sitting up, Abbey was about to respond when she heard another, more feminine voice.  
_

_"Abbey?" A young girl with dark red hair ran up. As Abbey studied the girl, she realized that she knew her.  
_

_"Kairi?"_

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Hey, Abbey, wake up!" A loud voice startled Abbey back to the present.

Turning, she saw her friend Riku standing behind her.

"You were daydreaming again, weren't you? Did you get the coconuts?"

"Yeah, I got 'em. They're back at the raft. And I got this." Abbey said, holding up a basket full of mushrooms.

"Wow, I guess you really were working." Riku said, eying the mushrooms with an approving look.

"Nah, I got the mushrooms this morning. I spent the last half hour daydreaming." Abbey answered, and the two laughed.

"Okay, let's get back to the raft. We've got a lot of work to do before it's ready. So what were you thinking about?" Riku asked as they walked back to the south shoreline.

"My home, the day it was destroyed."

"By those black things? The Heartless?"

"Yeah. I don't know what happened to everyone. My mom and my sister... Squall... and all the others. I miss them." Abbey said sadly.

"Well, when we get this raft finished, we'll go look for them. They're bound to be on one of the worlds we visit, right? You'll see them again."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Riku."

By that point they had reached the raft and dropped off their supplies, and decided to go find Sora and Kairi.

They found Sora laying on the sand on the north shore, asleep, with Kairi quietly approaching him.

"Hey, Sora!" Kairi called out, and the boy's eyes snapped open.

"Huh? Ah, gimme a break, Kairi." Sora said, and Kairi giggled.

"Sora, you lazy bum! I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."

"No! This huge black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-" Sora insisted.

"Yeah, sure. Are you still dreaming?"

"It wasn't a dream! Or... was it? So bizarre..." Sora breathed, then decided to change the subject. "Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?" Sora asked, but Kairi sighed.

"I already told you, I can't remember."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing. I make Abbey tell me stories sometimes, but nothing she says is ever familiar."

Listening nearby, Abbey sighed when she heard that.

"Do you ever want to go back?"

Kairi thought over that for a moment.

"Well... I'm happy here. But, you know...I wouldn't mind going to see it. Although apparently there's not much left anymore."

"Oh, right." Sora sighed. But then he brightened.

"I'd like to see it too. And any other worlds out there. I wanna see 'em all!"

"So what are we waiting for?" Kairi asked. Then Riku spoke up.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting about us?" He said as he and Abbey walk closer.

"I guess we're the only ones working on the raft." He continued, and Abbey giggled.

"And you're just as lazy as he is." Abbey told Kairi, who laughed.

"So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you!"

"Huh?" "Are you kidding?" "Okay, you're on!"

The responses from Sora, Riku and Abbey respectively made Kairi laugh harder, and she got ready to run.

"Okay, ready? On your mark, get set, go!"

So the group raced to the raft. Riku was one step ahead of Abbey, who was at least five steps ahead of Sora, and Kairi tagged behind, not truly trying to keep up. When they arrived, Kairi gave Sora a list of things he needed to get, and he set off to collect them.

Riku and Abbey worked on tying up the cloth they were using as a sail, and Kairi worked on some sort of seashell necklace.

"It's a thalassa shell necklace. In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe voyage." Kairi explained when Abbey asked about it.

The three worked in silence for awhile, and when Kairi finished the necklace she laid it on the raft.

"I'm gonna go see what's taking Sora so long." She said, and walked away.

Abbey and Riku finished tying the sail a moment later, and took a break. Riku walked over to the shoreline, and after a moment Abbey followed, standing beside him.

"What do you think we'll find out there?" Abbey asked as they stared out at the sea.

"I dunno. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything." Riku answered, and Abbey laughed.

"Wow, where'd you come up with that?"

Riku shrugged.

"Don't know. Hey, I'm sure we'll find your home out there."

"Maybe. I wish I knew where it was. But I don't remember anything between passing out in the darkness and waking up here."

"Yeah, I remember that day even more than the day Kairi showed up." Riku said.

For some reason, that comment warmed Abbey. The idea that her arrival was more memorable than Kairi's felt good to her. Of course, it could have just been the odd circumstances surrounding her arrival that made it memorable. She had simply washed up on the beach, lying on the sand when Riku found her.

But when she mentioned this to Riku as a possible explanation, he shook his head.

"Nah, that's not it at all. It's probably 'cause you're more fun."

"More fun?"

"Yeah. Kairi was all shy when we first met, and she clung to Sora like a lifeline. You, on the other hand, weren't shy at all.

You were a little afraid and really confused after what happened to you, but that was understandable.

After you got over your initial shock and sadness, you accepted that this was your home. Then you just wanted to play."

"And unlike Kairi, I don't cling to Sora. I cling to you." Abbey laughed, hugging Riku tightly.

"I'm not complaining." Riku answered as he hugged her back.

"Hey you guys, come on. The sun's gonna set without you!" Kairi called.

The group always watched the sunset together every night before going home.

Riku and Abbey didn't respond right away, but after a moment Riku squeezed Abbey just a little tighter before pulling away.

"Come on." He said, taking her hand as they walked over to the Paopu tree where they always watched the sunset.

_"Hmm...I was fine where I was. Thanks, Kairi."_ Abbey sighed.

In truth, she wouldn't have minded staying like that for the rest of the night. She'd had a crush on Riku ever since she first came to the island.

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"So, Kairi and Abbey's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked.

He and Kairi were sitting on one of the Paopu tree's lower branches, while Riku and Abbey stood leaning against it, still holding hands.

"Could be. We'll never know by staying here." Riku answered.

"But how far would a raft take us?"

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

"So, if you really did get to another world, what would you do there?" Kairi asked next.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one?"

"That's why we have to get out there and find out. We won't learn anything by staying here." Abbey put in, and Riku nodded.

"Exactly. We have to get off the island, or we'll never know what else there is, besides this place and Radiant Garden."

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" Kairi asked.

"Only since you and Abbey showed up. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Abbey, Kairi, thanks." Riku answered, squeezing Abbey's hand a bit.

"You're welcome." The girls said in unison.

Later, the group rowed back to the mainland and went their separate ways for the night. The next afternoon, they met at the island again to finish the preparations for their journey. There wasn't much left to do, so the time was mostly spent goofing off.

That evening, after they returned to the mainland and went home, Abbey was on her front porch when Riku came by.

"Hey, Abbey, you got a minute?"

"Sure, Riku. What's up?"

But then Riku hesitated, and Abbey thought he looked nervous.

"What is it, Riku?" Abbey asked, standing up and walking over to him.

As she got closer she saw that he was holding something behind his back, and he was blushing. Abbey had never seen Riku blush before, and it surprised her.

"I, uh, I wanted you to have this." He said finally, holding out his hand.

In his palm was a small silver heart-shaped locket.

"Oh, wow... Riku, its beautiful!" Abbey breathed, and Riku smiled.

Then he had her turn around so he could put it on for her.

She pulled her hair out of the way, and he fastened the clasp at the back of her neck, then they stood in silence like that for a moment. As Abbey looked at the locket now resting at the base of her throat she felt Riku kiss the back of her neck softly before turning her back around.

"I guess I should go now." Riku whispered, then turned away.

Before he got too far away, however, Abbey reached out and took his hand and turned him back to face her.

"Thank you, Riku. I love it." She said, and he smiled again, the smile that melted her heart.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. Goodnight."

Then he squeezed her hand and walked away, and as she watched him, Kairi came out to join her on the porch.

"Was that Riku? What's up?"

"He just... wanted to talk about tomorrow." Abbey said quickly, hiding the necklace.

She didn't want to share the moment with Kairi, not yet anyway.

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

Later that night Abbey laid on her bed in her room, playing with the necklace, when she heard a loud rumbling sound outside. She stood up and looked out the window, and saw dark clouds approaching.

Normally she would have liked to watch the coming storm, as she used to, but something about those clouds wasn't right. As she watched them get closer, she remembered the raft. If a storm was coming, and was a bad one, the raft could be destroyed!

So Abbey quickly left her room through the open window, and ran for the docks.

When she reached the island she saw that Riku, Sora and Kairi's boats were there as well. As she ran toward the raft, she looked up at the clouds and suddenly remembered the way she felt the day Radiant Garden was destroyed.

"It's the Heartless!" She realized, looking for Riku and the others. "I've got to warn everyone!"

Then she saw Riku. When she ran to him, he turned and held out his hand.

"The door has opened." He said.

"What?"

"The door has opened, Abbey! Now we can go to the outside world!"

"Where are Sora and Kairi?"

"Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Riku said.

That was when Abbey made her decision.

She had always told herself that if the Heartless ever came to the islands, she wouldn't be afraid like she was last time. She wouldn't lose everyone close to her again. She **couldn't** lose them.

So she stepped forward and took Riku's hand, and stood with him as darkness appeared beneath her feet. It swirled around her ankles, and slowly moved up her legs, and she did her best not to fight it. Then she felt Riku squeeze her hand.

"It's okay, Abbey. Don't be afraid." He said, smiling slightly.

That helped her relax.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kingdom Hearts I; Fallen From Grace  
****By Shattered Glass Memories**

**Chapter Two**

"Ow..." Abbey moaned. After falling through the darkness, she had landed somewhere hard. Her whole body ached, especially her left leg.

"Hey, you okay?" Riku asked, concern coloring his voice as he leaned over her.

"Yeah, I think I just landed wrong or something." Abbey answered.

Looking around, she saw that she and Riku were the only two around. No Sora, no Kairi. They were in a dark alley, with stone walls surrounding them and one end blocked off by a tall wooden fence.

Riku helped her to her feet, but when she tried to take a step her leg gave out. She cried out as she fell, but Riku caught her before she hit the ground.

"Okay, come on. Let me help you. Lean on me and we'll see if we can find someone who can heal your leg so you can walk."

Then Riku helped Abbey up again, and put an arm around her waist to support her while she put an arm over his shoulders. The two walked only a few steps, however, when they heard a voice behind them.

"Oh, let me help you with that, my dears."

Turning, they saw a woman in a black and purple gown. She had pale gray-ish skin, and carried a staff at her side, though it didn't appear to be a walking aid. She walked closer to the two and raised her staff, and a green light surrounded Abbey's leg.

The pain began to ease from not only her leg but her whole body, and when the light faded she stood.

"That's a lot better! Thanks!"

"Oh, it was my pleasure, dear. I do so hate to see a lovely girl such as yourself in pain. Now then, you two aren't from around here, are you?"

"Um, no, we're not." Riku answered.

"I thought so. Well, what brings you here?"

"It wasn't intentional, that's for sure. Our world was attacked by Heartless, and we wound up here. I don't even know where 'here' is." Abbey said.

"Why, you poor things! Attacked by Heartless... Tsk, what a shame. Well, this is Traverse Town, a refuge for those who have lost their homes to the Heartless, like you."

"Traverse Town...a refuge? Maybe we'll find Sora and Kairi here." Abbey said.

"Did you say Kairi? I believe I saw a young girl with that name." The woman said, and the teens looked up eagerly.

"Really? Where is she?"

"Oh, I'll take you to her." The woman said, motioning for them to follow her.

"Hey, who are you, anyway?" Riku asked, one silver eyebrow raised in question. The woman turned back, smiling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners? I am Maleficent. And you are?"

"I'm Riku. This is Abbey." Riku answered, putting an arm around Abbey protectively.

"What lovely names. Well then Riku, Abbey, come along dears, and you can see your friend again."

Then she started to walk away, not bothering to see if they were following.

"What do you think?" Abbey whispered.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right. But she did help you."

"Yeah, and I'm sure I've heard the name Maleficent before. If only I could remember where..."

"Well, for now we'll go with her, but stay on your toes. Be ready for anything." Riku decided, and Abbey nodded.

"Always am."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Ohh…what a dream..." Sora sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Then he looked around.

He was sitting in a dark alley, leaning against a wall. He didn't seem to be hurt, and there was a large yellow dog staring at him.

Wait, what?

_"Bark!"_

The dog licked Sora's face, then jumped on him.

"Whoa, this isn't a dream!"

"Do you know where we are?" Sora asked the dog, who barked again and ran off.

"Hey!" Sora followed him, and left the alley, finding himself in a large, brightly lit town.

"Wow, I'm in another world!"

He wandered for a while, finally entering a small shop.

"Hey there, how can I-" The man behind the counter began, then looked up and saw Sora.

"Ah, it's only a kid."

"Hey, I'm not a kid! The name's Sora!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Simmer down. So, Sora, why the long face? You lost or somethin'?"

"No! Well, sort of I guess. What is this place?"

"This is Traverse Town. People mostly come here when their world is attacked by the Heartless." The man explained.

"Really? So then, I might find my friends here?"

"It's possible. Why don't you go take a look around town? Never know what you might find."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, gramps." Sora said, turning to leave.

"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid!" The man called after him.

Sora walked around town for awhile, but found no sign of Riku, Kairi or Abbey. After a few more minutes he returned to Cid's shop, dejected.

"Didn't find them?"

"No." Sora sighed.

"Well, rest up a little and try again. Maybe you missed something." Cid suggested.

"Yeah, you might be right. This is a pretty big place, after all." Sora agreed, and after a brief break he left the shop again. As soon as he walked out, he heard a low voice behind him.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere." The voice said as a man stepped into view.

"Who are you?"

But the man went on as if not hearing him.

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade. But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. Now, let me see that Keyblade." The man said, taking a step forward.

"There's no way you're getting this!" Sora said, gripping the sword tighter.

"Fine, have it your way."

And the man attacked him. The man didn't really attack him physically too much, just swung his sword close enough to Sora that he had to constantly dodge.

Sora also didn't land many blows on the older swordsman-the man moved too quick, effectively waiting until the boy wore himself out.

"Looks like things are worse than I thought. A lot worse." The man sighed, raising a hand to his forehead.

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Mirage! Mirage, Mirage Mirage!" The woman looked up as a young girl came running towards her.

The woman, Mirage, had been training in an underground training area, fighting a shadowy copy of herself.

Ever since she was small, she'd had the ability to control darkness, and used it to create sparring partners, among other things.

Now, she dismissed the copy and turned to her young ninja friend.

"Yuffie, slow down! Breathe, girl! Come on; inhale, exhale. Inhale-"

"Mirage, I'm fine! Come on! Leon found the Keyblade master!" The young girl said, brushing off Mirage's concern.

"Really? Well, let's go. I'm eager to see who he is. It **is** a he, right?" Mirage asked, and Yuffie nodded.

"Yeah. It's a kid, barely even my age."

"Really? I bet Leon isn't happy about that, is he? Ah, well, let's go meet the newest chosen one."

So the two headed toward the hotel where Leon was waiting after he and Yuffie had taken the Keyblade master there.

As they entered the room, Mirage saw Leon leaning against the wall in a casual stance, and a young boy lying on a bed.

"So this is him, huh? He's so young..." She said, moving closer.

"Very."

"But that doesn't mean anything. He may be just what we need. The Keyblade chose him, after all. I'm sure it didn't make a mistake."

"I hope so."

"Ah, don't worry, Leon. He'll do fine." Mirage said, smiling encouragingly at the tall brunette, but then frowned when he shrugged her off.

"We'll see."

Then the boy began to stir.

"You okay?" Yuffie asked him when he opened his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade." She continued.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi." The boy mumbled, clearly still dazed.

"Kairi?" Mirage echoed, but Yuffie merely shrugged.

"Kairi? What are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

"But he said Kairi... Could it be the same?" Mirage pressed, looking at Leon.

"We can ask when he's more lucid." Leon answered.

"Right."

"What's going on here?" The boy asked.

Before Leon or Yuffie could say anything, Mirage stepped forward.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh, the island was attacked by these black things... I was sucked into this dark vortex, and passed out.

When I woke up, I was in an alley here." The boy explained.

"Those black things, they're called the Heartless."

"The Heartless? That's what she said, too. Before I lost her, before we got separated..." The boy said.

"Who said?"

"My friend. She said her world was destroyed by Heartless."

_"Then it must not be the same Kairi... She wasn't there when Radiant Garden was destroyed." _Mirage thought.

"The Heartless... Those without hearts. The darkness in people's hearts—that's what attracts them. And there is darkness within every heart." Leon explained.

"Hey, have you heard of a man named Ansem?" Yuffie asked the boy next, but he shook his head.

"Ansem?"

"He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report." Mirage answered.

"Really? Can I see that report?"

"Unfortunately, its pages are scattered everywhere, to many worlds. We're hoping that the King went to find them." Mirage continued.

"The King?"

"Yes. He sent two of his subjects to look for the Keyblade master... to look for you.

They should be here now." Mirage said, and Yuffie nodded.

"Yep, Aerith is with them now."

Then the boy lifted his hand, and the Keyblade appeared in it.

"So, this is the key?"

"Exactly!"

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you, no matter what." Leon added.

"Well, I didn't ask for this!"

"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you!" Yuffie told him.

"So tough luck." Leon threw in, and Mirage sighed.

Was he intentionally trying to be negative? Great way to act in front of the kid who just lost everything. Leon should know how bad the kid felt right now, so Mirage couldn't understand why he was acting like that.

"How did all this happen?

I remember being in my room...there was a storm...

Hey! What happened to my home? My island?"

"You know what? I really don't know." Leon answered.

"Man, what about Riku, Kairi? Abbey..." The boy sighed, and both Mirage and Leon looked up.

"Abbey?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Can you tell me about Abbey?" Mirage pressed.

"She's my friend. She came to the island after her home was destroyed by Heartless." The boy said.

"Guys? What's going on? Who's Abbey?" Yuffie asked, but was ignored.

"Do you know what her home was called?" Mirage pressed.

"Oh, yeah...it was, uh, Radiant..."

"Radiant Garden?" Leon prompted, and the boy nodded.

"Yeah, that's it! Why?"

"Oh my god..." Mirage breathed, too stunned to say anything else.

"Hey, someone tell me what's going on!" Yuffie whined.

"Abbey is Mirage's little sister. We were separated when Radiant Garden was destroyed." Leon answered.

"She's your sister?"

Mirage could only nod.

"Wow. Do you want to come with me to look for her?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Mirage whispered, having barely found her voice again.

"Why would I mind? She's your sister! She'd probably kill me if I didn't take you!" The boy laughed.

"Okay, thank you very much." Mira said quietly, tears forming in her eyes.

Leon laid a hand on her shoulder briefly, and when she smiled up at him he turned to Yuffie.

"Let's go join Aerith. She should be ready by now."

He headed for the door, but was stopped by Yuffie shouting.

"Leon!"

He turned to see a Heartless soldier appear in the room.

"Yuffie, go!" He yelled, grabbing his weapon and preparing to fight.

Yuffie ran out of the room, and as she went Mirage could hear Aerith calling after her.

"Sora, Mirage, let's go!" Leon said, and the three followed the Heartless out the side door of the room and down into the alley below.

"Don't bother with the small fry; find the leader! Let's go!"

Sora prepared his Keyblade, Leon his Gunblade, and Mirage readied her twin Angel's Tear blades.

And the three ran off.

After awhile the three got separated, each going to different districts, and as Sora searched for the 'leader' of the Heartless, he suddenly heard shouting from above him. He looked up, and saw two figures literally falling from the sky and about to land on him.

He tried to get out of the way, but wasn't quick enough; he was flattened. As the three lay on the ground, the two new arrivals looked at the weapon in Sora's hand and gasped.

"The key!"

Suddenly a large number of Heartless appeared, and the group fought them off.

Just when they thought they were done, however, the ground started to shake violently, and a large Heartless appeared.

"This must be the leader... okay, guys, let's take it out!"

Fortunately, the battle wasn't too difficult, and the trio beat the enemy easily.

"So, you guys were looking for me?" Sora asked when the battle was finished.

"Uh-huh." The two newcomers answered.

"They too have been looking for the Keyblade." Leon said, coming up behind them.

Then Sora looked them over.

One was a tall, brown, floppy-eared dog carrying a shield, the other a small white duck who held a magician's staff.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel." The dog suggested, looking at Sora.

"Hm... I wonder if I could find Riku, Kairi and Abbey..."

"Of course!" The duck said, then he and the dog exchanged words quietly.

"Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends." Leon said.

"Yeah, I guess. But Mirage is coming too, or I'm not gonna go. Deal?" Sora said, smiling at Mirage, who was standing beside Leon.

"Sure she can come!" The dog said.

"Okay, I'll go with you guys. You too, right Mirage?"

"Sure."

Then the two introduced themselves; the duck was Donald, and the dog was Goofy.

"I'm Sora." The boy said.

"Well, we better make sure we're prepared for the journey ahead. Maybe we should stay here for the night and leave out in the morning." Goofy suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." Aerith agreed.

So Sora, Donald and Goofy got rooms at the hotel, and the others went home.

"Can you believe it? Abbey's alive..." Mirage said as they walked.

"I hope you find her. It'll be great to see her again." Aerith added.

"Why don't I remember her?" Yuffie asked.

"Because you were very young when we left home." Leon answered simply.

"Oh."

"She's a year younger than you. She loved watching the rain fall and spent most of her time either on the library's balcony or out by the fountain." Aerith supplied.

"I hope she's okay..." Mirage sighed.

"She is. Don't worry." Leon told her, putting a hand on her shoulder again.

Mirage smiled up at him, and this time he smiled back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Exhausted._

_Another long day._

_They seemed to be getting longer._

_In his bedroom. No cloak, no shirt, no shoes._

_Just black pants._

_Face down, he laid on the bed._

_So tired._

_Never heard the door open._

_Never heard the soft patter of footsteps across the carpeted floor._

_Barely felt the pressure as a lithe form sat beside him on the bed._

_Acutely felt the soft, warm hand on his back._

_"What-"_

_"Shh...it's just me."_

_A woman._

_Giving him a massage?_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Easing your aching back. You've had a hard day; I want to help."_

_"I know another way you could help."_

_Teasing._

_Or was it?_

_"Maybe later. For now, just relax."_

_The hand pressing him back down._

_Two hands moving over his back._

_"You're not getting the left side very well."_

_"Oh? Well, let me fix that."_

_A voice alive with soft silvery laughter, and dripping with sensual suggestions._

_Then legs straddling his hips._

_Hands working harder, then replaced by a mouth._

_Gentle kisses moving over his back._

_Shifting._

_He turns to look up at her._

_"That's more like it."_

_A smile._

_Then a kiss. _

_And another._

_Hands moving over his chest._

_His hands in her hair._

_Light, feathery kisses on his neck, a finger tracing his jaw line._

_His hand on her stomach, her hip..._

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

Mirage woke in a cold sweat.

What kind of dream was that? The man had flaming red hair and green eyes. The woman almost looked like her, but not. She had never been with a man before. Not like that.

So who was he?

But, did he have to be anyone?

Maybe her mind picked a random image for the dream. But no, that guy was too specific to be random. She didn't recognize him, though. He was hot. But not someone she knew.

Looking at the clock, Mirage saw that it was early, too early. But she knew she wouldn't be going back to sleep, so she got up. She quietly slipped downstairs, and sat at the table in the dining room.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Mirage turned to see Aerith behind her.

"Not anymore."

"Another bad dream?"

"No. Quite the opposite, actually."

"Oh?" Aerith questioned, one delicate eyebrow raised.

Mirage and Aerith had always been as close as sisters, and told each other everything, so Mirage didn't find it at all uncomfortable to tell Aerith about her dream.

When Mirage finished, the brunette laughed.

"Sounds like a dream I wouldn't mind having. But it certainly is odd."

"I know. It felt so real, too. Like it really happened. But it didn't, at least not to me."

"What did the woman look like?"

"A lot like me, only with blue hair. I couldn't see her eyes."

"Hmm...well, I don't know. I guess just try not to think too much about it for now. After all, you have to get ready for your journey with Sora." Aerith said, then clapped her hands together.

"I can't believe you'll finally get to see little Abbey again!"

"She isn't exactly little anymore, Aeri. She's fifteen now. It's hard to believe, really. My baby sister is a teenager. All attitude and crushes, figuring out just who she is and making a name for herself. I can't wait to see her."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Okay, are we ready to go?" Donald asked.

After one more hug from Yuffie, Mirage nodded.

"Have a safe trip. I hope you find your friends." Aerith said.

"Good luck!" This from Yuffie.

"Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up." Leon added.

Then Aerith hugged Mirage, and whispered in her ear.

"Maybe this separation will be what Leon needs to get his priorities straight."

"What?"

"You know what I mean."

Mirage thought about it for a moment, then blushed, pulling away from Aerith.

"Yeah, we'll see." She laughed, rolling her eyes and smiling at her friend.

"Okay, let's go."

"Mirage." Leon called as she turned away.

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"So, where are we going first?" Mirage asked.

Donald was piloting the ship, Goofy was in the co-pilot's chair, and Mirage and Sora were in the tiny cargo hold putting away supplies.

"I think Goofy said it's a place called Wonderland. He didn't know much about it, though.

It's supposedly a strange place, but that's all he knew."

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Oh, dear, I'm afraid that your friend is not here."

"What?" Riku and Abbey said in unison.

"I'm sorry, dears. She's gone. But don't worry, we'll find her. Come along now." Maleficent said, leading the teens out of the small room they were in.

In truth, Abbey was glad to get out of the room-to her, it was a bit frightening. It was a large room, round, and the darkness seemed to be reaching out to her.

She and Riku wandered, almost aimlessly, around the strange and unfamiliar place Maleficent had taken them. Abbey wasn't all that sure she liked this place-it certainly freaked her out. Riku, on the other hand seemed quite at ease.

"I'm not sure we should stay here, Riku. This place is creepy. Doesn't it bother you?" Abbey asked, whimpering slightly.

"It is a little dark," Riku agreed, "But don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Abbey tried to smile, but it was forced.

"Come on, this may be just what we need to find Kairi and Sora." Riku encouraged.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Then Abbey sighed, causing Riku to look up, worried.

"You okay? Is the darkness really bothering you? We could go..."

But Abbey knew that Riku didn't really want to go, and she didn't want him to walk out because of her.

"No, I'm okay. I'm just tired." She lied easily.

Well, the lie came to her lips easily enough, but she hated lying to Riku.

"Come on, let's go find you a place to lay down. You should rest."

So Riku led Abbey back to Maleficent, who showed the teens to a dark bedroom. There were two beds, a desk and a dresser, all in black, and a small window which allowed in only a tiny stream of moonlight. Abbey sat down on one of the beds, then leaned back into the pillows, and Riku sat down beside her.

"Get some sleep, okay? You must be exhausted. You'll feel better after you've slept." He said, reaching up and brushing her hair off her face.

"Thank you, Riku." Abbey whispered, already drifting off.

Then she whispered something right before falling asleep, and Riku had to strain to hear it.

"Riku... I love you..."

"I... I love you too, Abbey."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Is your friend alright? The poor dear looked exhausted." Maleficent asked Riku when he returned to the main hall.

"She's fine. She's been through a lot."

"Yes, that she has. What will you do now?"

"I don't know. I need to find Kairi, but I don't have time to travel everywhere to look for her. Who knows where she is or what kind of condition she's in." Riku sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Well, I may be able to help you with that."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, child. I can show you how to travel without the use of a vessel. That should be very helpful, correct?" Maleficent said, and Riku perked up.

"Really? You would do that?"

"Of course, dear. Now, come this way..."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

Darkness.

That's what Abbey woke up to. Not that it was surprising, considering she was in Hollow Bastion. But still, it unnerved her. When she sat up in the bed, she saw that the room was empty.

So where was Riku?

She didn't have to wonder long; a moment later a strange portal appeared in the room, and her silver haired friend walked out of it.

"Abbey? How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. What was that thing you just came out of?"

"Oh, that? It's called a dark corridor. Maleficent showed me how to use it, so we could travel to other worlds without a ship."

Riku had hoped that Abbey would still be sleeping when he returned. He hadn't wanted to explain his new powers to her yet, not when she was still nervous.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Abbey asked.

"Well, Maleficent said we could use this castle as a refuge while we look for Kairi and Sora, and I think we should take her up on her offer. We don't have anywhere else to stay, anyway. What do you think?"

"I don't know, Riku...this place still bothers me a little. But if you think it's best, then I'm okay with it." Abbey answered, and Riku smiled.

"Thanks, Abbey. We'll find them, I know it."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Ugh, this place is so confusing!" Sora sighed.

The group had been in Wonderland for nearly two hours, and everyone was getting fed up. The world itself was interesting, full of bright colors and lush greenery, but it was, as Sora said, confusing.

It was like a maze; the paths seemed to continually change, making it impossible to backtrack if you missed something. When they first arrived, Sora and the others found and followed a little white rabbit who was mumbling about being late to some event, and he led them to a courtroom. A lady judge was accusing a young blonde girl of some crime, and sentencing her to death.

The girl had protested vehemently, claiming that she had done nothing wrong.

Sora and Mirage had stuck up for her, even though they had no idea whether she was telling the truth or not. Now the lady judge had them searching for clues to prove her innocence. As they walked through a flower garden, a strange cat appeared.

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

"Who, indeed? Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!" The cat said.

"Do you know something? Tell us!" Mirage said.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers—but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat... all lie in darkness."

Then the cat disappeared.

"Wait!"

Then the cat's voice filtered back to them.

"They already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Good luck..."

"Okay, well, I guess that was kinda helpful. Let's keep lookin'!" Goofy said.

"Should we trust that cat, though? What if he's lying?"

"To trust or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!" The cat said.

"Aw, go away already!" Donald squawked.

"Especially if you're not gonna help us." Sora sighed.

So the group continued on, eventually finding all the evidence. Then the cat reappeared.

"I see you found all the evidence. Well done."

"Now we can save Alice." Sora said.

"Don't be so sure! Alice may be innocent, but what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I won't tell. But you better hurry."

And the cat vanished once again.

"Let's go!"

So they returned to the courtroom to present their evidence.

"You may only choose one piece of evidence to present to the court." The judge said.

"What? After going through all the trouble of collecting it?"

But the judge was adamant.

"Which one should we choose?" Sora asked the others quietly.

"Let me see the evidence." Mirage said, holding out a hand. Sora handed one of the boxes to her and she studied it for a moment, then passed it to Goofy and reached for another. The second one she handed to Donald, and tried a third.

"This one." She decided.

"Why?"

"Because I can sense darkness within it. Trust me, this is the one we want."

"Alright, let's do it."

So the set the box in front of the judge's chair, and one of the court guards opened it. At first nothing happened, but after a moment a small black form jumped out of the box and wiggled around for a moment before vanishing.

"What was that?" The judge asked.

"That was your evidence. Alice is innocent!"

But the judge didn't agree.

"Silence! I'm the law here! Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty!"

"What? That's crazy!" Donald shouted.

"Guards! Seize them at once!" The queen/judge shouted, and a bunch of guards ran forward.

But the guards were... playing cards?

The courtroom was alive with activity, as Alice was put in a cage and card guards were chasing after Sora and the others. They fought the guards off easily enough, but when they were finished they found that Alice was gone.

"She must have gotten kidnapped while we were fighting!" Donald said.

The queen sent her guards in search of the missing girl, effectively leaving Sora and the others free to leave.

"But what about Alice?" Mirage questioned, "We can't just abandon her!"

So the group began searching. As they looked through the same flower garden they were in earlier, they heard a newly familiar voice.

"Searching again?" The cat asked, as he appeared.

"Hey! Have you seen Alice?"

"Alice, no. Shadows, yes!"

"Where did they go?"

"This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows! Step deeper into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find shadows in the upside-down room!"

"Deserted garden? There's a deserted garden in here?" Mirage asked.

But again, the cat was gone.

"I'm really starting to hate that cat." Donald sighed.

"At least he's being a little helpful now."

So they headed further into the area, finally finding what they thought was the deserted garden. And the cat showed up again.

"Hmm...not here either. Go to the upside-down room!"

So they did that too. And the cat was waiting.

"It's too dark. Try lighting all the lamps."

Once the lamps were lit, the cat laughed.

"The shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!"

Then the cat vanished yet again, and a huge Heartless appeared.

"Okay, we have to fight!"

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"There doesn't seem to be any sign of Kairi here. We should move on, Abbey. ...Abbey?"

Riku looked around quickly, relieved when he heard his friend's light laughter nearby.

"Riku, come look at this!" She called, appearing behind a shrub.

"What is it?" Riku asked, joining her.

Then he saw what she was talking about.

A wide open garden, full of colorful flowers.

"Isn't it pretty?" Abbey asked, and Riku nodded, looking more at Abbey than the scenery.

She was clearly much happier in the light, and for a moment Riku felt a twinge of regret for asking her to remain in the darkness.

Watching her now, he almost suggested that maybe they should find somewhere else to stay, but she spoke up before he could.

"If they're not here, then we should move on."

"You don't want to stay and enjoy the garden a little longer?"

Abbey thought about it only briefly, then quickly walked over to a bush that held bright red flowers.

She studied them for a moment, then picked what she thought was the best one and pulled it off the bush.

"Now I'm ready." She said, joining Riku.

He turned to open a dark corridor, then paused.

Reaching out to a nearby shrub, he picked off a flower as well, then turned and tied it into Abbey's hair.

"Now I'm ready, too."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

After fighting off the giant Heartless, Sora and the others found a keyhole waiting to be sealed by the Keyblade.

Once they sealed it, the cat appeared again.

"Splendid. You're quite the hero. If you're looking for Alice, she's not here. She's gone! Off with the shadows, into darkness."

Then the cat left again, and a piece of parchment paper fluttered down to the floor.

Mirage picked it up and studied it.

"It's written in a very old language. I think I can translate it, but it'll take time. Let's get back to the ship."


	4. Chapter 4

**Kingdom Hearts I; Fallen From Grace  
****By Shattered Glass Memories**

**Chapter Four**

Back on the ship, Mirage was in the crew quarters trying to translate the message written on the paper they found.

"Ansem's Report One..." She said aloud, looking at the first line of the page.

_"Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that. I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand."_

At that moment, Sora walked in.

"Hey, Mirage. How you doing with that report?"

"I'm working on it. It's tricky. I'll let you know when it's ready."

"Okay."

_"I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times." _Mirage read on silently.

"Well, I'll let you get back to it. You have plenty of time, though."

_"Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?"_

"We won't be arriving at the Olympus Coliseum until tomorrow." Sora said, then walked out.

_"How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness."_

That was the end of the report.

After finishing the translation and taking the report to Sora, Mirage had nothing else to do, so she decided to go back to the crew quarters and read a book.

As she read, she came across a passage that seemed to jump out at her:

"The light within the darkness. You've lost sight of it. And it seems you've forgotten forgetting."

Mirage knew she hadn't read the book before-She received the book from Aerith before she left with Sora. Dismissing it as a coincidence, she continued reading, but then it happened again.

"You're a fool among fools to show yourself here, traitor."

Now Mirage was confused. She hadn't read this book before, right? Perhaps Aerith had discussed it with her at some point.

But she didn't think so.

Closing the book, she glanced at the cover._ "Rouge Chaos_"? That couldn't be right. It was supposed to be _"Heart of Destiny_".

A romance novel-did Aerith read anything else?

So this was a different book. But how did it get changed? Mirage knew it couldn't have been a prank by Sora or the others, because the book had been in a bag of her personal belongings. Surely they wouldn't dig through her things. So what did that mean? How did the book suddenly change?

Unable to explain it Mirage put the book aside, and went to the bridge.

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

The ship arrived at the Olympus Coliseum the next afternoon with no trouble.

"Wow...this place is incredible!" Sora said as the group looked around.

The entrance was covered in sand, and there was a large building on the opposite end of the area with two huge statues holding swords over the doors. Walking through the doors, they found themselves in a small lobby. A satyr stood with it's back to the door, and when Sora tried to speak it interrupted.

"Good timing. Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me. I gotta spruce this place up for the games." He said, pointing to a very large stone block.

Sora tried to move it, but it was too heavy. So everyone else joined him, but they still couldn't move it.

"It weighs a ton! It's way too heavy!" Sora gasped.

"Too heavy? When has anything been too heavy to you? Since when have you been such a little-" Then he stopped and looked up at Sora.

"Oh. Wrong guy. What're you doing here? This here's the world-famous Coliseum—heroes only! And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeaks."

"Who participates in these games?" Mirage asked.

"Heroes come from all over the world to compete in the games!"

"You got heroes standing right in front of you!" Donald said, and Goofy nodded.

"Yup. He's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade!" He added, looking at Sora.

"And we're heroes, too." Donald put in.

"Hero? That runt?" The satyr laughed.

"What's so funny? I've fought a bunch of monsters!" Sora grumbled.

"Hey, if you can't even move this pedestal...you can't call yourself...a hero!" The satyr said, but struggled with the block himself.

"Okay, so it takes more than brawn. Well, let's see what you can do."

"What do you mean?" Mirage questioned.

"Time for some training. This trial is tough. You got what it takes? You ready?"

"I'm ready!" Sora nodded.

"Let's do it."

"Okay, kid. Let's see what you've got."

So the satyr, who gave his name as Phil, took Sora and the others into the training area. He set up a few practice runs for them, which they passed easily.

"You know, you ain't bad, kid." Phil said.

"Looks like I'm headed for the games."

"Don't get your hopes up yet, Sora." Mirage warned quietly.

"Afraid not." Phil confirmed her statement.

"Why not?" Sora whined.

"Two words: You guys ain't heroes."

While Goofy pointed out that Phil's comment held more than two words, Sora pressed Phil to reconsider.

"Come on!"

But he kept refusing, and eventually Sora gave up. Leaving the lobby, the group heard a voice behind them.

"Rather a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?"

The man was rather tall, and wore a long, dark cloak. His hair was a blue flame.

"Who are you?" Donald asked.

"He's Hades, god of the underworld." Mirage informed them.

"You know him?" Sora asked, and Mirage nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. We've had some dealings. It was a long time ago, though."

"'Unfortunately'? Ouch! I'm hurt, Miri!" Hades laughed.

"So, what do you want?" Donald asked.

"Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy." Hades said, turning back to Sora.

"Wait, let me guess: You want to enter the games, right?" Hades said, then put his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Well, then, hey, get a load of this."

Hades snapped his fingers, and an Entry Pass appeared in his hand.

"A pass?"

"It's all yours. Good luck, kid. I'm pulling for you, little Shorty."

Then Hades walked away.

"Wow, what are the odds of that?" Goofy asked.

"With Hades? Pretty high, if he wants something. And this was a little too high, if you ask me. Be careful, Sora." Mirage said.

"Hey, how do you know Hades, anyway? You said you had dealings?"

"He saved my life once. Hard to believe, I know. But he thought he could use me to do his dirty work. He was wrong."

"Hm… well, anyway, we have a pass, so we might as well use it."

So the group returned to the lobby and spoke with Phil.

"Hey, how'd you get this?" He asked, examining the pass.

"Can we enter the games now?" Mirage cut in before Sora could answer. She didn't want their source being revealed.

"Well... I guess so. We start with the preliminaries! Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

So Phil got them ready for the games. Before they started, he had one more thing to say:

"Some real weirdos signed up for the games. Better watch yourself."

Then, a man with blonde hair and a large bandaged sword walked by and stared at Sora as he passed.

_"Was that…?"_ Mirage wondered.

"Something tells me he'll be a tough one to beat. Who knows, maybe you'll end up facing him." Phil said.

Then Sora and the others stepped into the arena and fought their way through the first several battles. Then the competition had an intermission, and everyone took a break.

"Say, you're better than I thought. Wish **he** was here to see this." Phil said.

"Who?" Sora asked.

"Hercules. He's a hero if ever there was one. Too bad he's off visiting his father."

Listening halfheartedly to the conversation around her, Mirage saw Hades talking to the blonde man they had seen earlier. Stepping away from the group, she hid in the shadows and raised her left hand, a dark portal appearing a few feet in front of her. Smiling slightly, Mirage quickly moved through it, coming out behind Hades a moment later.

"That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now, don't blow it. Just take him out." He was saying.

"The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid?" The blonde man scoffed, "Sorry, but my contract says-"

"I know! You think I don't know? I wrote the contract! I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Hey, it's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it! I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?"

With one last withering look at Hades, the blonde left.

"Geez. Stiffer than the stiffs back home. Still, suckers like him are hard to come by..."

Hearing this, Mirage returned to Sora and the others.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Sora asked.

"I just had something to take care of. Listen, Sora, this next fight? Make sure you fight as hard as you can."

"Huh? What's that about?"

"Don't worry about it. Just go out there and win."

"Okay. Let's do it."

Then the blonde man, whose name Mirage remembered was Cloud, stepped into the arena, and the two sides prepared to fight.

The group charged Cloud.

Mirage and Sora leapt and slashed downward hard. Cloud staggered back a bit from the impact, but regained his balance. In retaliation, he tried to slash at the two warriors. Unfortunately for him, the attack was stopped as Donald began using magic. Cloud turned to Donald and ran towards him. Mirage saw the target advancing toward her partner and quickly readied her Angel's Tear blades.

In moments, she passed her opponent and was in between the soldier and Donald. Then Sora again jumped up and slashed at their foe. This time however, the damage was greater and Cloud crashed to the ground.

Mirage smirked, her green eyes shining a malevolent shade.

Cloud got up and slashed at Sora twice, cutting into his shoulder deeply.

Suddenly, a stream of ice hit him just after a voice yelled "Icicle!"

The attack belonged to Donald. At the same time Goofy, who had seemed absent from the fight, suddenly smashed into Cloud. The assault knocked him off balance, and Sora and Mirage attacked him simultaneously. Cloud hit the ground again, only this time he didn't get up.

Sora's team had won.

After a moment Cloud stood and limped away, and Mirage almost went to help. But then she realized it likely would be taken the wrong way, so she stopped herself. She felt bad for having to fight her once-upon-a-time friend, but she knew she had no choice.

Especially if he was working for Hades.

Besides, it looked as though Cloud didn't recognize her anyway. That thought hurt, but Mirage had little time to worry about it, however, as the ground suddenly started to shake violently.

"What's g-g-going on?" Goofy cried as he tried to keep his balance.

The source of the shaking made it's appearance in the form of a huge black dog with three heads jumping over the arena walls.

"What is this thing?" Sora asked as it leaned close to him and growled.

Mirage threw one of her swords at the creature, distracting it from Sora.

"It's Cerberus!" She answered, "Hades' _pet_!"

"Hey! You guys gotta get out of there!" Phil shouted.

So the group ran, except for Mirage who went to Cloud, who had collapsed.

"I...can take care of...myself." He protested, and Mirage scoffed.

"Yeah, well I'm helping anyway. Get used to it, Cloud."

That comment surprised Cloud. He was sure no one here knew his name, 'cause he hadn't told anyone. So how did this girl know it? But as he thought about it, he realized that this girl seemed familiar. And during battle, her movements were similar to...

"...Mirage?"

"Nice of you to figure it out."

"Well, it's... been what, eight.. years? Can you... blame me...?"

And Mirage shrugged.

"Nah, not really."

By this time everyone had reached the lobby at the same time someone else came running out to confront Cerberus.

"Herc!" Phil shouted.

Everyone watched as Herc started to fight, but they soon realized that he couldn't take the beast alone. Sora was the first to make the first move, followed by Mirage, out into the arena again.

"Hey, where are you going? You can't go out there!" Phil protested, and Cloud agreed.

"It's not safe."

"I have to help, Cloud. I can't just sit on the sidelines and wait. You should know that; you're the one who taught me to be that way." Mirage said.

Then she looked at Sora, who nodded, and the two ran out. Donald and Goofy immediately followed, and after a moment even Cloud joined them. With all of them fighting, Cerberus went down easily. Once the battle was over, a keyhole locked it, and a gummi block appeared. Gummi blocks were what made up their ship, and they could tell this was an unusual one. Decided to show it to Leon, the group prepared to leave.

Before they went, they gathered in the lobby again, except for Cloud and Mirage.

"Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further—"

Phil read from the certificate he prepared for Sora and the others.

"Hey! What do you mean, 'junior heroes'?" Donald asked.

Phil told them that they still didn't understand what it took to be a true hero.

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"What are you going to do now?" Mirage asked Cloud.

"Go somewhere else. Keep looking."

"What are you looking for? Why can't you come home? Everyone misses you! Won't you come back?"

But Cloud didn't answer, and asked his own question instead.

"Why are you traveling with Sora? Why are you not at home?"

"I'm looking for Abbey. Sora said she's been living on Destiny Islands with him and his friends."

"...Abbey...?"

"She's alive, Cloud. I'm gonna find her, and bring her home."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

Seeing that there wouldn't be any games for awhile, Sora and the others prepared to leave. Outside, they saw Mirage talking to Cloud on the steps.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked, and Cloud nodded.

"Why did you go along with him, anyway?"

"I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and couldn't find the light."

"You'll find it." Sora encouraged, "I'm searching too."

"For your light? Don't lose sight of it."

Cloud stood then, and walked away.

"Cloud!" Mirage called after him, and he turned.

"Mirage..."

She hugged him.

"Be safe." She whispered.

"You too. Bring Abbey home."


	5. Chapter 5

**Kingdom Hearts I; Fallen From Grace  
****By Shattered Glass Memories**

** Chapter Five**

The group had returned to the ship, and was preparing to head to the next world.

"Hmm... it'll be nice to go home for a bit, see everyone again." Mirage mused, thinking about Traverse Town, their next destination.

"Oh, yeah, that's your home. I guess I forgot. Abbey always talks about Radiant Garden." Sora said.

"That's because she's never seen Traverse Town. Somehow, she ended up on your island. And I suppose that really, Traverse Town isn't 'home', exactly. It's just that I've been away from Radiant Garden for so long..." Mirage said.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I hope we find everyone soon." Sora sighed.

"So do I..."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

They arrived in Traverse Town two days later, and went to the underground waterway where they found Leon and Aerith.

They told them what had been happening the last few days, and showed them the gummi block.

They asked Leon about it, but all they got out of him was "Ask Cid."

Then Aerith asked about the keyholes they had found, and listened as Sora explained that the Keyblade had locked them instantly.

"Every world among the stars has a Keyhole. And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well." Leon said then.

"What do you mean?"

"It was in Ansem's report." Aerith answered.

"The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world's core. In the end, the world disappears." Leon explained.

"That's why your Keyblade is so important. You're the only one who can lock all the keyholes and stop the Heartless." Mirage put in, and Sora nodded.

"Then I'll just have to search for all the keyholes." He decided.

"You'll likely go to most worlds in your search for your friends anyway." Leon added.

After that, Sora, Donald and Goofy went to find Cid, while Mirage stayed behind with Leon and Aerith.

"We found one of Ansem's reports. Here..." Mirage said, digging through her bag and pulling out the paper.

She handed it to Leon, and Aerith looked over his shoulder to read it.

"Did you do the translating?" Aerith asked, and Mirage nodded.

"Good work." Leon added.

Then Aerith decided to go find Yuffie.

"I'll see you guys later. Mirage, come see me before you leave, okay?" She said, and walked out.

"Alright." Mirage called after her, smiling slightly.

"So, how have you been?" Leon asked once Aerith was gone.

"I've been alright. And the trip is going fine, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Well, there have been some strange things happening lately." Then she told him about the book.

"And you're sure no one switched it out?"

"I don't think they would. The book was in my bag, and I doubt they would go through my things like that. It's strange, though."

"That it is. But what about the other things? You implied that there was more than just this." Leon asked.

"Well, I've been having strange dreams, lately. Now, I know strange dreams aren't all that unusual in themselves. But these feel more real than any I've had before. They feel like memories, but I know they aren't mine."

"Hmm...well, maybe you should talk to Merlin. Remember when you had those visions? Maybe they're related."

Three years ago, Mirage had suddenly started having visions of the future.

She couldn't explain it, but she was glad when the visions stopped, because they were usually painful experiences, physically and emotionally.

Most had to do with the Heartless, and coming attacks on the city. The dreams she was having now, however, were far different. It felt like she was seeing a vision of someone's ordinary life.

But if that were the case, why was she having these visions at all?

"Maybe I will talk to Merlin." Mirage said, and Leon nodded.

"Let's go."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"...Visions again, hm? I wonder..." Mirage and Leon stood before Merlin, who had only moments ago spoken to Sora and the others.

"What do you think?" Mirage asked, as the old wizard scratched his beard.

"Well, it's possible that you are seeing the future again. But whose future are you seeing? Whoever it belongs to, at least it is a calm one. Perhaps that is to show you that eventually the Heartless threat will pass. Beyond that, there is little I can tell you."

So the two were prepared to leave, Leon through the secret exit that led to the underground waterway and Mirage through the front door.

"You're not going to the waterway?" Leon asked, surprised. Normally, Mirage spent almost all her time down there, training.

Much like Leon did.

"Not right now. I think I'm going to go swimming. Do you want to come?" Mirage offered, and expected the answer she received.

"Not this time. Maybe later." Leon said with a quick shake of his head.

Then he left, and Mirage sighed. It was almost inaudible, but Merlin picked up on it.

"You have to tell him someday, you know."

"Tell him what?"

"Don't play innocent. You know what I'm referring to. You're in love with that boy."

"'That boy', as you called him, barely knows I exist, Merlin. There's no point."

Merlin 'hmm-ed' as Mirage walked away, heading out to the moat-like pool that made up the entirety of Merlin's yard space.

She wasn't exactly dressed for swimming, but she didn't mind that.

She had only been in the water for a few minutes when a loud shout echoed through the room as Sora came into view.

"Mirage! We have to leave now! Right now!"

"Sora? What's going on?"

"We just saw Riku and Abbey! They disappeared, but we might be able to find them if we hurry!"

"Go get the ship ready; I'll be right there." Mirage answered, and Sora ran off, shouting for Donald and Goofy.

Then she got out of the water and headed for Aerith's house.

Once there she changed into dry clothes, and was just reaching for the front door when it opened and Sora walked in.

"There you are! Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Wait. There's something you should know." Cid said, standing by the window, "You guys ever hear of Maleficent? I hear she's in town." He continued.

"Who?" Sora asked, and Cid shook his head in disbelief.

"A witch, man. She's a witch!"

"She's the reason this town is full of Heartless. Don't take her lightly." Leon warned.

"She's been using the Heartless for years." Aerith put in.

"We lost our world, thanks to her. One day, a swarm of Heartless invaded and took over." Mirage explained.

"That was nine years ago." Leon said next.

"That's awful!" Donald exclaimed.

"Gawrsh, how'd ya get out of there?" Goofy asked.

"We had a ship. Well, technically Cid did." Mirage answered.

"I got out of that mess and came here with these guys." Cid explained.

"Our leader was a wise man named Ansem. You remember? We told you about him before." Mirage said. At Sora's nod, she continued.

"He devoted his life to the study of the Heartless. His report should tell us how to get rid of the Heartless. But that report was scattered when our world was destroyed. I imagine Maleficent has most of it."

"You know, now that I think about it, Abbey once showed me a paper with strange writing on it, kinda like the one you translated. Could it have been one of those reports?" Sora asked.

"Possibly. Where did she say she found it?"

"Um... I think she's had it since she woke up on the island."

"I wonder how it ended up with her..."

"Speaking of Abbey, shouldn't we get going?" Donald interrupted.

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"See, I told you. He doesn't need you anymore. He's already replaced you."

Maleficent, Abbey and Riku stood outside the house Sora was in.

"He replaced us with a dog and a duck? Well, there's no accounting for taste." Abbey sighed.

"You're better off without that wretched boy, my dears. Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for..." Maleficent said, leading them away.

"How could he replace us so quickly? He seemed so happy to see us a few minutes ago!" Abbey sighed.

_0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0_

_"What are we doing here again? I thought you said Sora wasn't here?" Abbey said as she and Riku ran through the streets, clinging to the shadows so they weren't seen. _

_"I know. But I think something's changed. He's gotta be here now. _ _Come on."_

_As they turned a corner, they saw Sora, along with a dog and a duck._

_"There you are. What's going on?" Riku called out to him, leaning against a wall casually. Abbey did the same._

_"Riku! Abbey!" Sora shouted, running up to them. He reached out to Riku and tugged on his face, stretching it._

_"Hey, cut it out!"_

_"This is real, right? I'm not dreaming this time?" Sora asked._

_"I hope not. It took forever to find you."_

_Then Sora turned to Abbey, and hugged her._

_"Hey, Sora, good to see you too. But, could ya let me breathe?" She gasped._

_Sora released her instantly._

_"Sorry. Hey, where's Kairi?"_

_"Kairi? Isn't she with you?" Abbey asked, but Sora shook his head._

_"Well, don't worry. I'm sure she got off the island too. _ _She might even be looking for us right now." Riku encouraged._

_"I hope she's okay..." Abbey sighed._

_"We'll all be together again soon. Leave it to me. I know this-" Riku began, but stopped when Sora suddenly leaped out to attack a Heartless._

_"Leave it to who?" He laughed._

_"What was that? Sora got some moves!" Abbey cheered._

_"I've been looking for you guys too. With their help." Sora answered, looking to his new companions._

_"Who are they?" Riku asked, and Sora introduced them._

_The dog was Goofy, the duck Donald._

_"So, this is the Keyblade." Riku said, and Sora looked up to find the weapon no longer in his hand, but in Riku's._

_Abbey studied it while he held it. _

_"I think I've seen that somewhere before..." _

_"Yeah? Where?" Riku asked, tossing the Keyblade back to Sora._

_"I dunno. I can't remember where I saw it. It's been a long time, I think. _ _Back when I was a child, before I came to the islands." _

_"Hey, you guys are coming with us, right? We got this awesome rocket. _ _Wait 'til you see it!" Sora said._

_"No! They can't come!" Donald squawked. _

_"Why not?"_

_"Forget it!"_

_"That's not an answer! Besides, they're my friends!"_

_"I don't care!"_

_While the two bickered, Riku motioned for Abbey to follow him and they walked away, slipping into a dark corridor._

_"What was that about?" Abbey wondered. _

_"Who knows? C'mon, let's go find Maleficent."_

_0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0_

"Well, let's get out of here. We don't need to wait on him. We'll find Kairi ourselves." Riku said.

"Yeah..."

The two walked silently in the corridor, Abbey staying close to Riku's side. The corridors still frightened her a bit, as did anything related to the darkness.

As they walked Riku looked over at Abbey, and saw a tear slipping down her cheek. Reaching out, he gently wiped it away, smiling at her slightly.

"It'll be okay. Don't worry."

"I know. I'm just worried." Abbey said, then tried to smile.

"But you're right, it'll be okay."

**0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Alright, let's get going." Sora said, standing at the town gate.

"Be careful." Leon said, and Mirage turned to him.

"We will." She said, and he nodded.

"Bring her home."

"I will."

"Come on!"

"I'll come back soon. I promise."

A few hours later they arrived at their next destination, a jungle planet.

"Maybe Riku, Abbey and Kairi are down there." Sora suggested, looking at the image of the planet on the computer screen.

"In a backwater place like that? No way! Let's move on." Donald protested.

"Let's just check it out. You never know what might be there." Abbey told the duck.

"Forget it! We're on an important mission!"

He and Sora then started fighting over the controls, while Goofy and Mirage shouted at them, trying to stop them.

A few moments later the ship rocked violently, then went into a spiral. Everyone screamed and tried to find something to hold onto, but in the end it didn't matter; the free-falling ship was going to crash, and there was little anyone could do to protect themselves.

Mere moments before the ship crashed, there was a blinding light, and the ship's occupants lost consciousness.

**0~0~0~0~0~0**

"Mm... where am I? I... hear water?" Mirage murmured, trying to lift her head.

She was lying in a densely forested area, in tall grass.

When she tried to move she felt like her body was burning, and she laid back down after a moment.

"Hello? Sora, Donald, Goofy! Can you hear me?"

She got no response.

"Well, that's great." She sighed.

After lying there for a few minutes, she pushed herself up when she heard something that sounded like a low growl.

She looked around but saw nothing, then pushed herself up further and rose to her feet. Another growl filled the air, seeming closer than before, and Mirage drew her swords and prepared to defend herself.

At that moment a leopard rushed at her, and she quickly jumped to the side to avoid it.

It turned around and charged again, and this time she didn't have time to dodge. The leopard bit her arm and slashed at her side with its claws, digging in deeply.

Mirage cried out in pain, falling to her knees and gripping her side. The leopard was about to strike again when suddenly a man with silver hair suddenly appeared and attacked the leopard.

The leopard roared in pain as the man's sword dug into its side. It swiped a paw at him, but the man easily dodged and attacked again, and this time the jungle cat left to lick its wounds.

The man turned to Mirage then, and she realized that he was younger than she originally thought. He was little more than a boy, really.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. Glad you showed up when you did though. Thanks." Mirage answered, already trying to wrap her arm with bandages she carried in her bag.

"Here, let me help you with that." The boy offered, taking the bandage from her hand and finishing her arm. After that he helped with her side, and handed the bandages back.

"What are you doing here alone, anyway? You don't look like a native." He said next.

"I got separated from my friends. I'm looking for them."

"Oh... I got separated from my friend too. You wanna look for them together?"

"Sure. What's your name? "Mirage asked, but the boy hesitated.

"Ryu." He said after a moment. "And yours?"

Mirage had a feeling that he had lied, though she couldn't imagine why. But to be on the safe side, she did the same. Sort of.

"I'm Mira."

"Alright Mira, where should we start looking?"

Before she could answer, an explosion sounded in the distance.

"Was that a gunshot?" Ryu asked, and Mirage nodded.

"Definitely." Being around Leon for so long, she certainly knew the sound of a gunshot.

They continued to listen, and only a moment later shrieking animal screams echoed from somewhere deeper in the forest, the echo making it sound like it came from all around them.

Mirage rushed in the direction the gunshot had come from, with Ryu right at her heels. They ran through the forest for several minutes, finally arriving at a clearing. What lay in the clearing, however, was not a welcome sight.

Lying in a pool of blood was a huge gorilla, dead.

"Oh my...! What... who would do this?" Mirage asked.

"Well, since I don't know of any Heartless that can fire a gun, I'd say it was a human." Ryu answered, and Mirage sighed.

"May not be the technical term, but anyone who would do this seems pretty 'heartless' to me."

Ryu nodded slightly in agreement, and the two continued on.

Past the clearing was another thick forest, and as they wandered through it Mirage stopped suddenly.

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

"No." Ryu answered, cocking his head to the side and listening intently.

"There's something out there." Mirage warned, readying her weapons.

Ryu did the same, and the two stood in silence for a few moments.

"What do you think it is?" Ryu asked, but Mirage shook her head.

"I don't know. Hopefully not another enemy."

The two didn't have to wonder for long; a man suddenly came out from behind a tree, walking on his hands and knees.

"Uh... hi there...? I'm Mira, this is Ryu. What's your name?" Mirage said, watching the man carefully.

"M...Mira... Ryu?" The man echoed and Mirage nodded.

"That's right. I'm Mira, and this is Ryu." She said again, pointing at herself and Ryu.

"You Mira. Ryu. Me, Tarzan." The man said.

"Tarzan? Your name is Tarzan? Okay, then. Tarzan, we're looking for our friends. Can you help? I'm looking for Sora, Donald and Goofy. Ryu is looking for..." Then Mirage stopped and looked at her silver haired companion.

"Ryu, who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a girl named Bailey."

"Sora, Bailey... friends?" Tarzan said, looking confused.

"Yes, that's right. Have you seen them?"

"Friends here." Tarzan said, nodding once.

"Really? Can you show us?" Ryu asked.

Then Tarzan made some odd noises and said 'friends here' again.

"Okay, I have no idea what the first part of that was, but let's go. Take us to our friends."

So Tarzan ran off through the trees, and Mirage and Ryu hurried after him.

"Wonder where we're going?" Mirage said absently as they ran.

"No idea. I just hope Tarzan knows what he's doing."

After running for a short time, they came to a clearing by a huge tree, with a rope holding a basket tied to it.

"Up." Tarzan said.

"Up... there? Are you sure?"

"Up." He insisted. So the three got into the basket and raised it up to the top of the branch it was tied to. Once there, they could see a tree house.

"What is this place?" Mirage asked.

"Home." Tarzan stated simply.

"This is your home?" Ryu questioned as the trio walked into the structure.

It looked like the place had been empty for a good while, collecting dust. There was debris lying everywhere, splintered wood and broken glass mostly, with a few pieces of broken furniture scattered around.

As Mirage looked around, she heard the sound of paper crinkling beneath her feet. She couldn't walk without stepping on something, but as she looked down she saw that the paper was covering something.

Picking it up she saw that it was a picture frame, with a picture covered by dust and broken glass. As she shook the glass off and blew away some of the dust, Ryu came to stand beside her.

"What did you find?"

"An old photo." Once the picture was finally visible, Mirage gasped slightly. The picture was of a young man and woman holding a child.

"These must be his parents…" Ryu put in, looking over Mirage's shoulder.

"They look so happy. I wonder what happened…"

Just then they heard a low, rumbling growl.

"Sabor." Tarzan said simply.

"Sabor? Is that its name?" Mirage questioned.

"Who cares what its name is? We have to-"

Before Ryu could finish that statement, Sabor jumped into the room through the window. It seemed to ignore Mirage and Ryu, going after Tarzan instead.

Tarzan looked like he could handle Sabor well enough on his own, but Mirage and Ryu weren't about to let him. So they jumped into the fight, and with the three of them the jungle cat was fleeing in short order once again.

"Maybe Sabor killed his parents…" Mirage said, and Ryu nodded.

"It's possible. At any rate, we aren't going to find our friends waiting around here. We should keep moving."

"Yeah, you're right. Tarzan, we're going to head out now." Mirage told the jungle-dweller, hoping he understood.

"Leave now. Find friends." He replied, hurrying to the door.

"Now where's he going?"

"No idea. I guess we might as well follow him."

Leaving the tree house, they followed Tarzan through the forest for several minutes before finally arriving at a clearing where a tent was set up, along with several large pieces of equipment.

"Jane!" Tarzan announced, heading into the tent.

"So there is another person here? Maybe she'll speak better English." Mirage said.

As they entered the tent they were greeted by a young brunette woman, standing beside an even younger blonde girl.

"Oh there are more of you! Wonderful!" The woman exclaimed.

"Riku!" The blonde girl said, looking at 'Ryu'.

She hugged Riku tightly, and when she released him he looked back at Mira, who had an amused look on her face.

"So, 'Ryu'..."

"Yeah, sorry about that…" He shrugged, "Didn't know if I could trust you."

"It's fine. I'm Mirage, by the way." She said, and the two laughed slightly.

"Mirage...?" The girl whispered, and Mirage looked up.

"Yes?"

"Mirage...? You don't mean...?" Riku questioned, looking between them.

"Mirage, I can't believe it! It's me... Abbey."

"Abbey...? Little Abbey? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Mirage said, and before she knew it Abbey was in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"I can't believe it! It's you! You're here!" Abbey cried, blinking away tears.

Riku, Jane and Tarzan looked on quietly, each with a different expression on their face. Jane looked slightly confused but happy for the girls, while Tarzan looked mildly interested.

Riku watched them with a smile, feeling a mix of joy and sadness. He was happy that Abbey had finally found her sister, but sad because it reminded him that he still hadn't found Kairi.

After a few moments Abbey pulled away from Mirage, and looked back to Riku.

"I'm so glad you're back! Did you see any sign of Kairi?"

"No. I don't think she's on this world either. We should move on."

"Oh, you're leaving so soon? I had so hoped you could stay for a little while longer." Jane said.

Before anyone could respond another gunshot rang out, startling everyone.

Mirage and Riku were the first out of the tent, listening intently to hear anything to help determine which direction the sound had come from.

"Clayton!" Tarzan shouted as everyone followed them.

"Yes, Clayton. I never should have hired him. He is far too eager with that gun of his." Jane sighed.

"It was this way." Riku said, running to the west. Mirage followed close behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm not totally happy with it, but maybe it isn't so bad. Let me know what you think!**

**Kingdom Hearts I; Fallen From Grace  
****By Shattered Glass Memories**

**Chapter Six **

"It's over this way!" Riku shouted as they ran. After a few moments they entered a clearing, seeing a tall man with a large gun resting on his shoulder.

"Clayton! What's going on?" Jane demanded as they approached him.

"Ah, Miss Porter. Just taking care of a small problem." Clayton answered, a cocky smirk firmly in place on his lips.

"I see you found more stragglers." He continued, raking his eyes over Mirage and Riku.

"What kind of small problem?" Mirage demanded, ignoring his other comment.

"A gorilla got out of hand and had to be dealt with." He said, and Jane gasped.

"You shot a gorilla? Mr. Clayton, we are here to study the gorillas, not to harm them." She protested.

"You hired me to be your bodyguard, Miss Porter. I am doing just that."

"And what about the other gorilla?" Riku put in when the women fell silent.

"O-other gorilla? There was another one?" Jane questioned.

"I'm afraid so. Riku and I discovered it before we met Tarzan." Mirage confirmed.

"Well, Mr. Clayton? What do you have to say about that?" Jane questioned, but when he didn't answer she became angry.

"That's it! You have been trouble since you arrived, Mr. Clayton—you're fired!"

Before he could answer, Abbey spoke up.

"Hey, where's Tarzan? He was following us for a while, but he's gone."

"Hmm… that is odd. But Tarzan does have a habit of disappearing at times. He must have gone home." Jane said.

"And yet he refuses to take us there." Clayton put in.

"Clayton, go wait on the ship until I return." Jane ordered, and he headed in the direction of the distant shore.

The group decided to backtrack to see if they could find Tarzan, and discovered that he hadn't gone far. And with him was…

"Sora!"

"Mirage! Hey, I'm glad you're okay. Have you seen Donald and Goofy?"

"No, not yet. But look who I did find!" Mirage said, looking back toward Mirage and Riku.

But they were gone.

"Hey! They were right here! Man, why do they keep disappearing like that?"

"They? You mean you say Riku and Abbey? They were here?" Sora questioned, and Mirage nodded.

"Man, I wish I could have seen them. But at least we know they're okay. Maybe Kairi's here too. Come on, let's get looking. We still have to find Donald and Goofy too."

"Right."

They were near Jane's tent by this point, and she decided to go back inside while the others continued to look for their friends. As they searched they came to a swamp, and on the far side of the murky water was Goofy.

"Hey! Goofy!"

"Hey, fellas!"

"Have you seen Donald?" Mirage asked, but the King's knight shook his head.

"Nope…"

"Ah, well, we'll just have to keep searching. Come on!"

"Y'know, I would join ya, fellas, but this here swamp is full of hippos. And I don't think they want me interrupting their nap."

Looking down into the water, Mirage looked into the eyes of the nearest hippo. It had a dull, glazed over look, like it was tired and didn't care about the goings on of a group of random people invading its swamp.

"Hmm… okay, let's try this…"

Mirage waved her hand over the surface of the water, and a shadowy bridge formed over it.

"Okay, Goofy. You can come across now."

Goofy pressed one foot onto the bridge, testing its weight, before deciding that it was safe enough to walk on. A few moments later he stepped onto solid ground again, joining Sora and Mirage on the other side.

"So, did you find anything useful other there while you were stuck?" Sora asked.

"Well, I found this…" Goofy said, holding out his hand which held a strange gummi block.

"That looks like one of the King's blocks." Mirage said, studying it closely.

"King!" Tarzan echoed, reminding everyone that he was still there.

"Tarzan? Do you know something?"

"King!"

"Oh, nevermind."

"So the King is here?" Sora questioned eagerly.

"Well he was, at least. No way to know if he still is without looking."

"Well, let's go then!"

0~0~0~0~0~0

The four were running through yet another forest when they heard sounds of a fight. As they entered a clearing they saw their white feathered friend fighting a group of Heartless.

"Hey, look—its Donald!" Goofy said as they ran to help.

Once they were finished they took a break to rest.

"Hey, Donald, have you seen the King?"

"No. I haven't seen anyone until now."

"Oh… well, now what do we do?"

"Kerchak." Tarzan put in.

"Kerchak?"

"Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Okay, can you take us with you?"

Tarzan didn't answer, simply started running.

"Hey, wait up!"

Several minutes later, the group entered a large area with few trees. It was very open, with several areas on the ground where the grass had been flattened out in large circles.

"Is this… their nesting ground?" Mirage asked, her voice low and almost reverent.

Before anyone could answer, they heard a loud rumbling sound and the ground started to shake. Suddenly a group of very large gorillas entered the area.

"Wow…" Sora breathed, too stunned to say anything else.

Tarzan spoke to one of the larger gorillas, presumably Kerchak, in a language no one understood. Kerchak didn't answer, and seemed distracted, leaving a few moments later.

"What was that about?" Sora wondered.

"Was he looking at the tree house?" Mirage questioned.

"Let's go check it out."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Up at the tree house, they saw a small gorilla playing with a damaged globe. Mirage smiled as she watched it spinning the item, fascinated, until she suddenly heard Donald squawk angrily and run off.

Following him with her eyes she saw Clayton, aiming his rifle at the gorilla.

"No!" She cried out, reaching out her hand.

Donald slammed into Clayton and threw off his aim, just as a stream of darkness wrapped itself around his arm and covered the barrel of the gun. When it discharged, the bullet was caught safely in the net-like darkness.

"What's the big idea?" Donald demanded as the gorilla ran off.

"You don't understand. I was only trying to... Ah. A snake slithered by, you see. I saved that poor gorilla's life."

"Right." Mirage rolled her eyes as she pulled her arm back, using the darkness around Clayton's gun to pull it away.

"I don't think you'll be needing this anymore."

Clayton followed the others back to Jane's tent, where his actions were reported to the young brunette.

"How could you do such a thing? I told you to wait on the ship."

"Now, Miss Porter, as I told you, I was not aiming at the gorilla." Clayton tried, but Jane was in no mood to listen.

"You are not to go near the gorillas again!"

"All because of one mishap? Come, now..."

"Get out, Mr. Clayton."

Without another word Clayton stormed out of the tent. A moment later the group still inside it heard a gunshot.

"What the? Guess we shouldn't be surprised that he has another gun…" Sora sighed.

Running outside, everyone saw a large number of Heartless, but Clayton was nowhere in sight. When they fought off the Heartless they turned to Jane, who was standing in the doorway of the tent.

"I do hope Clayton is all right. Would you mind terribly going to look for him? I don't want him causing any more trouble."

Everyone agreed to find Clayton and left the tent. As they headed toward the bamboo thicket another gunshot rang out.

"Well, at least he's still alive." Mirage said.

"Unless the gorillas or Heartless got hold of his gun, anyway, yeah."

"Now there's a scary thought-a gorilla running around with a gun."

As they neared the thicket they heard a low growl.

"That thing just doesn't give up, does it?" Sora sighed.

"You've fought it too?"

"Yeah. Tarzan helped fight it off."

"He helped me and Riku too. Guess he's just all over the place!" Mirage said as Sabor came into view.

The jungle cat walked a large circle around the group, as though sizing them up, before launching itself at Tarzan again. Everyone jumped into the fray as Tarzan shoved Sabor off with his spear, and when the cat landed hard on the ground he ran forward and stabbing him, his spear piercing deep into Sabor's flesh.

Blood spilled everywhere.

The cat cried out in a loud howl and thrashed about wildly, and Tarzan dug the spear in deeper, pressing in as Sabor's movements slowed. With one last pitiful howl, Sabor closed his eyes and lay still.

"Whoa…"

"I guess that's the end of that. Let's keep moving."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Once they reached the end of the clearing, they found a dense forest they wouldn't be able to walk through. So they turned back and returned to the tent. As they entered it, however, they saw that Jane was nowhere in sight.

Tarzan started grunting wildly, moving through the room and tipping things over as if Jane would be underneath the items.

"Tarzan, what's wrong?" Sora asked him.

"Something coming. Jane, danger. Jane near... Near tree house."

"Near the tree house? Let's go check it out."

As they approached the tree house, they saw Jane and the small gorilla they saw earlier tied up. There were several Heartless in the area as well, and the group defeated them easily.

"Jane, what happened?" Mirage asked as she untied the captives.

"Clayton came to the tent… that's the last thing I remember."

"Clayton?"

"Gorillas trapped. Terk run." Tarzan stated.

"Terk? Is that the name of the small gorilla?"

"We must help the gorillas." Jane said.

So the group followed Terk and Tarzan, who led them to a wide open area in the forest far from where they had been before. In the clearing were Clayton and a large group of Heartless.

"Clayton?"

"Not Clayton!" Tarzan insisted, "Not Clayton!"

They fought off the Heartless while Clayton-or not Clayton-stood idly by, looking bored.

When they were finished Clayton stepped forward with a creepy grin on his face. Then he began to float in midair and a huge Heartless chameleon appeared beneath him, so that when he settled down on it he was riding on its back.

No sooner had it appeared than it disappeared, and as the group searched for it Mirage felt something cold and wet on her ankle. Before she could look down to see what it was she felt it wrap around her leg and pull her off the ground. It lifted her high in the air in the direct line of fire from Clayton, who had his gun trained on her.

"Mirage! Hold on!" Sora called as everyone rushed to help her.

Mirage began to squirm. She knew that she was about to be shot, and she was trying to do anything to prevent that. Fortunately, she was able to move just enough that when Clayton fired she wasn't in the direct path of the bullet.

Even though she knew it was coming, it still startled her when he actually fired. Then there was nothing but pain. Blinding pain.

The bullet slammed through her, burning like fire. Her eyes filled with tears at the pain as the chameleon dropped her, and she hit the ground hard.

It tore through her arm and she swore loudly, hissing in pain and grabbing her arm. Blood poured down her sleeve, covering her body and pooling on the ground around her.

As soon as she hit the ground Sora was at her side, gently laying a hand on her wound and muttering the incantation for a healing spell.

Goofy, Donald and Tarzan continued fighting the Heartless and Clayton.

"Cure!"

A soft green light flowed out from around Sora's hand, surrounding Mirage's arm in soothing warmth. She could feel the wound healing, the skin knitting itself back together.

She sighed in relief as the pain ebbed, laying her head back and relaxing for a moment. Looking up, she saw that Goofy and the others had all but finished off the Heartless.

"Sora, they need you. Go." She told the Keyblade Master, but he hesitated.

"But what about you?"

"Your Keyblade is the only thing that can release that thing's heart. Go!"

With a quick glance back Mirage, Sora ran to the beast and plunged his blade into its chest. The creature shrieked, and a brilliant light flooded the area. When the light faded the Heartless was gone, as was Clayton.

Once it was over Tarzan led the group forward, into a place with several cascading waterfalls and lush greenery.

"Wow… it's beautiful…" Mirage breathed. The sight reminded her of her home, Radiant Garden, and the fountains in the square.

Tarzan spoke in a language no one understood as everyone looked around.

"Home? This is your home?"

"Friends here. See friends."

"Oh, now I've got it." Jane said, looking thoughtful, "What he's saying is 'friends in our hearts'."

"Oh… so that's what it was…" Sora sighed.

"Friends, same heart. Clayton, lose heart. No heart, no see friends." Tarzan said.

As the group looked around, they found a keyhole. Sora used the Keyblade to seal it, and a gummi block fell out, as did a piece of paper.

Sora picked up the gummi while Mirage picked up the paper, each studying their respective finds.

"This is another gummi block like the one we found before."

"But it's sure not the King's." Goofy put in.

"How can you tell?"

"Because it doesn't have the King's seal on it like the other one." Donald explained.

"Oh. Hey, Mirage, is that another one of those reports?"

"Yes. It's going to need to be translated like the other one. I'll work on it when we return to the ship."

"Just where is your ship, anyway?" Jane asked.

"It's at the north pier." Mirage answered quickly, "And we should really be getting back to it. It was nice to meet you, Jane. And you too Tarzan."

The others echoed similar sentiments, and headed back to the ship.

"I wonder what kind of gummi this is…" Sora mused.

"Maybe Leon'll know." Goofy suggested.

"Hmm… he might. Back to Traverse Town then?" Donald asked.

"Yeah. It's not like we have any other leads right now."

So they set course for Traverse Town.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, so I decided to work on this again. It's no longer collecting dust! I don't know how often I'll be posting, but updates will appear from time to time. Now, without further ado, here's the newest chapter of Fallen from Grace!

**Chapter Seven**

Mirage was in the crew quarters translating the latest Ansem Report when the ship was rocked violently. She fell to the floor from the shaking, and several papers on her desk were scattered along with her.

"What are they doing, letting Sora drive?" She muttered, getting to her feet again.

"_It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is." _She read aloud,_ "I shall conduct the following experiments:_

_~Extract the darkness from a person's heart._

_~Cultivate darkness in a pure heart._

_~Both suppress and amplify the darkness within."_

She couldn't imagine wanting to experiment on the darkness. She shuddered just thinking about it. But then she remembered that she could use darkness herself, and the thought both calmed and worried her. She didn't know why she could use the darkness, but she'd had the ability to do so since she was a child. Shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts, Mirage continued to read.

"_The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle."_

"Beneath the castle? He actually had Heartless beneath his castle?"

Mirage couldn't believe it. How could he let those things remain in his home? What if someone had gone down there and been attacked? If he could get them down there, surely someone else could find them, couldn't they?

"_Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?"_

That was the end of the report. Putting the paper in her bag, she left the room and headed to the bridge. As she expected Sora was indeed driving, and with Donald's guidance seemed to be doing well.

~CRASH~

Maybe she spoke too soon.

"Sora, what did you do?" Donald asked.

"I-I didn't do anything! It wasn't me!"

"Yeah, sure."

"Uh, fellas, I think he's right." Goofy put in, pointing out the window. Everyone looked out, and saw a huge ship firing at them.

"Heartless!"

"Everyone hold on! I'll take care of them!" Sora said, then sent the ship into a barrel roll. The Heartless followed after them, and once they came out of their spin Sora pulled the ship up sharply and fired at the Heartless, taking it out.

"Good job Sora!" Goofy said.

"Thanks. It wasn't that big of a deal, though—it was a pretty weak one. Anyway, we'll be arriving at Traverse Town shortly."

When they did arrive they looked for Leon, and found him in the waterway with Aerith. Sora spoke to Leon about the gummi block in his pocket, hoping he would know something. He didn't say anything for a long moment, so Aerith spoke for him.

"Ask Cid. He should know."

_Why is it always 'go ask Cid'? _Mirage wondered. _Why won't Leon tell them anything?_

Sora, Donald and Goofy went to find Cid, while Mirage stayed with Leon and Aerith.

"I'm going to go check on Yuffie." Aerith said, but Mirage stopped her.

"No you're not. Stay here, Aerith."

"But she—"

"I found Abbey."

"You found her?" Leon repeated, looking up.

"Yeah. She was with Sora's friend Riku in the jungle. We were together for awhile, but they got away from me right before I found Sora."

"That's wonderful," Aerith expressed, "at least we know she's okay."

"Now I just have to find her again and convince her to come home with me."

0~0~0~0~0~0

"Hey Mirage! We found out what that gummi block was!" Sora announced as he joined her in Merlin's house. He was so excited, he was practically jumping up and down, and Mirage couldn't help but laugh.

"Calm down, Sora. What is it?"

"It lets us travel through new routes in space! We can go even farther than before!"

"Really? I haven't seen that type of block since I first left Radiant Garden. So, where's our next stop?"

"Um… Agrabah, I think. We'll be leaving as soon as everyone's ready. Donald and Goofy are getting supplies at the shop right now, but they should be done in a few minutes."

"Great. I'm ready too."

A few minutes later Donald and Goofy joined them, and they prepared to leave. As they headed back to First District Leon and the others caught up with them. Walking beside Aerith, Mirage noticed that the brunette seemed distracted.

"Hey, what's on your mind?"

"Hm? Oh, I was thinking about the bell in Second District. It rang earlier, and it was so loud! It made me wonder if there's something affecting it."

"Maybe we should check it out."

"Check what out?" Sora spoke up, pausing to listen to them.

"The bell above the gizmo shop." Mirage supplied.

"There's a legend about it, you know." Yuffie put in.

"Really? What kind of legend?"

"Let's see… how did that go again…?"

"I don't remember much about it. I only heard it from the shop owner when I first arrived here." Mirage said, thinking.

"It's all boarded up now, though. No one can get to it anymore." Aerith said.

"Heck, go check it out. Ring it three times to see if anything happens." Cid said, speaking for the first time. Sora thought it over, then nodded.

"Sure, we'll check it out. Should we do it now, or wait until we come back again?"

"Later." Donald and Goofy said in unison.

"Okay, why later?"

"Because we're in a hurry now. We should do it when we have more time to spend here."

"I guess that makes sense. Okay, we'll do it the next time we're in town."

0~0~0~0~0~0

"Ugh, I hate the desert! It's so hot!" Abbey complained, earning a laugh from Riku. The two people walking ahead of them, Maleficent and Jafar, paid little attention to the teens.

"And the Keyhole?" Maleficent was asking.

"The Heartless are searching for it now. I'm certain we'll find it soon enough. So that just leaves…"

Just then a red bird flew by, circling Jafar a couple of times before landing on his shoulder.

"Jafar! I've looked everywhere for Jasmine. She's disappeared like magic." It said, it a scratchy voice that Abbey found irritating.

"Grr… The girl is more trouble than she's worth."

"You said you had things under control." Maleficent commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Agrabah is full of holes for rats to hide in. But why worry about Princess Jasmine? With her or without her, surely this world will be ours when we find the Keyhole."

"We need all seven Princesses of Heart to open the final door. Any fewer is useless." The dark mistress reminded the vizier, and Abbey leaned close to Riku.

"Is that what we're here for? Looking for Jasmine?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if the princess is that important, we'll find her." Jafar said, summoning a Heartless soldier and sending it out to find Jasmine.

"Don't steep yourself in darkness too long. The Heartless consume the careless." Maleficent warned as she prepared to leave.

"Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary." Jafar laughed as she disappeared in a cloud of darkness. He then turned and walked away, ignoring Riku and Abbey.

"Pompous a-"

"C'mon, Abbey, let's get to work." Riku interrupted, rolling his eyes as he dragged her away.


End file.
